20th July 1998

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The role of traditional parades and the various ways of commemorating past battles will be among the themes to be discussed at a major international conference in Coleraine this week.

The Tenth International Conference of Historical Geographers, which will be based at the University of Ulster, has attracted historians from throughout to world to Northern Ireland to discuss more than 80 themes.

One of the topics under consideration will be the role of the Saint Patrick's Day parades in New York and Boston in helping develop the identity of the Irish in America.

However, Adrian Mulligan and Salliue Marston, both from the University of Arizona, will also look at the modern strains on the tradition:

"Throughout the Nineties, the parades have been fraught with bitter conflict over whether to include native Irish American gay men and lesbians in the parade. It raises a number of questions about the emergence of new cultural identities in the United States and how they have challenge accepted notions."

In another talk, entitled 'Moving Statues', two academics will look at the politics of commemoration.

Professor Keith Jeffrey, University of Ulster, and Dr Stephen Royle, Queens University, look at how memorials to battles and to monarchy can be seen as both affirmations of loyalty in empires throughout the world and as targets for nationalist dissatisfaction.

They look at similar issues in the Republic:

"Statues of King William III and Admiral Nelson in Dublin have been blown up while statues of Queen Victoria have been buried or removed eventually to Australia in the case of that situated outside Leinster House.

"War memorials have been re-located to less central positions. Some, such as the Irish national war memorial at Islandbridge and the First War Memorial at Limerick have suffered neglect, even vandalism, to be restored and rededicated."

The paper on the Saint Patrick's Day parade will be delivered on Friday morning.

The paper on the Politics of Commemoration will be delivered on Wednesday.

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk